Preparing for Your Big Day

Posted on: 5 February 2016

If you have an old furnace, then you might have considered the possibility of an upgrade in the past. However, you might be a little wary of the high price of an upgrade. After all, who wants to commit to an upgrade that won't save them money in the long run?

To help you decide when you should upgrade, here are some questions that you should ask yourself:

How old is your furnace?

One of the biggest factors in determining the right time for an upgrade is the age of your furnace. Older furnaces will be less efficient for a wide variety of reasons. For example, parts will naturally wear down over time and advancing technology means that newer units are naturally more efficient and cheaper.

If your furnace is more than a decade or so old, then you might want to begin thinking about an upgrade. However, if your furnace is older than 30 or 40 years, then it's time to immediately consider an upgrade. You might not even notice just how inefficient your system currently is.

What condition is your furnace in?

You want to take a look at how many times you have needed to work on your furnace in the past. If you have noticed that the frequency of maintenance has dramatically increased within the last 2 or 3 years, then an upgrade might actually be cheaper than continuing to service your old furnace.

Even if the cost of repairs aren't that high now, they could increase substantially in the future. If current trends continue, then how much money will you be spending on your old furnace in 6 months or a year?

Do you want to be more environmentally conscious?

Your decision to upgrade might even be entirely motivated by the idea of going green. By upgrading your furnace, potentially even to a unit that is integrated with a solar panel system, you can dramatically reduce your home's environmental impact. While the upfront costs of solar panels can dissaude many from the prospect of buying them, you can be environmentally conscious without making an expensive investment.

For example, your old furnace might use gas or electricity very inefficiently. A new unit might be able to produce much more power with the same amount of fuel. Even though the upgrade will cost you money, you will create much less waste for the environment. Even though your utility bills might not fall enough to make up for the cost of the upgrade, the idea that you are reducing your environmental impact might mean more to you than a few dollars.

For more advice or to have your furnace inspected, speak with a representative from a company like Doc Dancer Heating, Air Conditioning & Generators.